MAISON MARGIELA

Established in the late 1980s by its elusive Belgian namesake, Maison Margiela has long been synonymous with a very particular brand of deconstructed, conceptual cool. Part of a group of Antwerp-based designers who fundamentally changed the fashion scene with their penchant for tearing up and reassembling garments, Margiela left the label, currently designed by an in-house team, some time in the 2000s. One of the most influential designers in the industry, Margiela would introduce techniques that influenced everyone from streetwear designers to haute couture houses, incorporating frayed hems or seams, trompe l’oeil prints, fused garments and all manner of material—from synthetic hair to mirror embellishments—into his witty creations. That unique sartorial spirit lives on, evident in collections that continue to toe the line between fashion and art, season after season.